The invention relates to coupling devices in general, and more particularly to coupling devices which can be utilized to separably connect terminal portions of first tubular components (e.g., nipples at the ends of pipes or tubes) with terminal portions of second tubular components (e.g., end portions of flexible hoses). Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in devices which can separably couple the terminal portions of at least two first tubular components with the terminal portions of at least two second tubular components.
German patent application No. 39 03 565 of Feichtiger et al. (published Aug. 9, 1990) discloses a twin coupling wherein two interconnected tubular coupling members are insertable into mutually inclined sockets of a receptacle and the receptacle is provided with a cutting edge which is located between the two sockets to sever a web between the coupling members while the coupling members are being inserted into the respective sockets. Such coupling can be used only when its parts are machined and/or otherwise formed with a relatively high degree of accuracy. Therefore, the coupling of Feichtiger at al. cannot be put to use as a dual or multiple hose coupling in a motor vehicle wherein the end portions of several hoses must be separably but sealingly connected to discrete nipples if the mutual spacing of the nipples and/or the mutual spacing of the tubular connectors deviates from a predetermined value. For example, the heat exchangers of heaters in motor vehicles often comprise several nipples each of which is to be connected to the end portion of a discrete hose, and it would be of advantage to provide a device which could be manipulated to simultaneously connect two or more hoses to two or more nipples as well as to permit preferably individual disconnection of each hose from the respective nipple. The principle underlying the invention of Feictiger et al. could be relied upon if the mutual spacing of nipples were to correspond, with a rather high degree of accuracy, to the mutual spacing of two or more tubular connectors for the end portions of discrete hoses.
A coupling which can be used to separably connect a single hose to a nipple or the like is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,002 granted May 29, 1990 to Sauer for "Device for coupling a hose to a pipe". Such coupling can be utilized under the hood of or elsewhere in a motor vehicle. However, it is necessary to provide a discrete coupling for each hose which is to be separably secured to a nipple or the like.
Another hose coupling which can be used in a motor vehicle is disclosed in commonly owned copending patent application Ser. No. 07/591,562 of Spors et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,061 granted Dec. 24, 1991. This hose coupling is also designed to separably connect the end portion of a first hose with the end portion of a second hose or with the end portion of another tubular component.
German patent application No. 35 29 052 of Wolf et al. (published Feb. 26, 1987) discloses a device which can couple several hoses with discrete additional hoses or other tubular components. The device of Wolf et al. comprises a discrete tubular connector for each pair of hoses to be separably coupled to each other and a flexible web which is integral with the tubular connectors. An advantage of the flexible web is that it can compensate for deviations of the actual distance of neighboring fixedly mounted tubular components (e.g., nipples at the ends of two or more pipes) from a prescribed standard or optimum distance. This is desirable when the coupling device is used in assembly plants for motor vehicles wherein two or more flexible hoses must be separably hut sealingly coupled with an equal number of nipples or the like.